Tentatively schedule for RCA orientation in 2 weeks but

[lbpd16]

Had my orientation for 2 days followed by driver orientation 1 day.  Orientation was as expected, lots of powerpoints and videos, mostly boring but some good things to know.  Some of the folks seemed like they really love their job and others not so much.  As for us students, it looks to be the same.  Some of us paid attention while others acted like it was a kindergarten class.  Alot of unnecessary chit chat which got everyone behind and lots of repeat questions that we were told at the beginning would be answered at academy.  Overall I found it quite frustrating because I wanted to sit there and just hear what the instructors had to say.  I also found things to be rather disorganized and not much communication but that is par for any government job.  The driver orientation was better, however the lesson plans mandated were like they were directed to 3 year olds.  They did stress safety over delivery speed over and over and over and over.  However they also said that despite the ranting about safety if the mail is slow to be delivered there will be many unhappy supervisors.  I just don't get that.  Safety and speed are contradictory terms.  Next us is LLV driving, shadow day and then academy.  All to be determined at this point.  

 

[btdtret]

Ibpd16 --  Welcome back.

--  That 20 years as a police officer may work against you sometimes!   Just be patient.

" Alot of unnecessary chit chat which got everyone behind and lots of repeat questions that we were told at the beginning would be answered at academy.  "

--  There goes a golden opportunity!   Should have stood up and told the others to be quiet ( or shut up ) as I am here to learn!  A leer towards the instructors would have been appropriate also.

" The driver orientation was better, however the lesson plans mandated were like they were directed to 3 year olds. "

--  Welcome to the USPS!

"They did stress safety over delivery speed over and over and over and over.  "

--  Just don't use "I was late for dispatch because I was driving slowly for safety's sake."

" despite the ranting about safety if the mail is slow to be delivered there will be many unhappy supervisors.  I just don’t get that. "

--  Welcome to the USPS!

" Safety and speed are contradictory terms.  "

--  You are learning fast!

--  Hang in there!

 

[callofthewild]

Welcome to the USPS and you will figure out in short order why some of the lesson plans were like they were "directed to 3 year olds"

All of this orientation, driving training and the academy training means next to nothing.....your real training will come the first day you are all by yourself out on the route that first day.  Pay close attention to your Regular Rural Carrier....ask questions........TAKE NOTES.  

 

[lbpd16]

As during my law enforcement career most of the training is just for the agency to cover their ass when they get sued and to throw us under the bus.  I found only a small percentage of my training over the years to be helpful.  Also, I know that the actual job and the classroom are 2 totally different worlds.  Most of my training officers told me to forget most of what i learned at the academy.  I actually learned the most by myself after the field training program ended.  When you don't have the safety net of someone next to you to ask, you learn how to think for yourself and make snap decisions in a jam.  Its a little funny that i'm doing all of this over again but in a different field.  I could pretty much tell who the people are in orientation that won't make it, will quit, or will quit fired for doing something stupid. The 3 yr olds.  LOL

 

[Shafted]

Wait till you see how horrendous mgt is.  75% of USPS mgt couldn’t “manage” their way out of a paper bag.  Postal mgt is comprised of those that are: A-screwing somebody, B-related to somebody, or most times C- “know where the bodies are buried”. Welcome to the shit show.  As someone with a law enforcement career under their belt I’m quite sure you can see and smell bullshit in about .2 seconds.  Your in for a treat cuz those keen senses are about to come out of retirement real quick.  You will definitely be amused.  Welcome. 

 

[blamethesub]

<blockquote class="spPostEmbedQuote"><strong>lbpd16 said </strong>
However they also said that despite the ranting about safety if the mail is slow to be delivered there will be many unhappy supervisors.  I just don't get that.  Safety and speed are contradictory terms.</blockquote>
For what it's worth, speed on the route is all about casing.  Getting it cased, pulled, and out the door at a reasonable time is what gets you back at a reasonable time.

It takes a long time to learn to case quickly.  Newbies see themselves still struggling to get the mail cased up long after the other carriers have gone, and often make the mistake of thinking they'll "make up time" on the route.  They try to go fast on the road, and this is a huge mistake.  Rushing causes mistakes, backtracking, hitting stationary objects like mailboxes, and it doesn't get you back any faster.

Your street time will improve initially once you learn the route and you get to know which box is which, and where the houses are.  After that you'll see that your street time is fairly consistent most days.  So speed happens in the office.  Learn the case as well as you can, and take any tips the others offer you on how to improve your casing techniques.  Best of luck to you.

 

[lbpd16]

Had my LLV driving day and have a shadow day scheduled.  I think the RCA academy will be coming up soon as well.Looking at vehicles right now.  I found a factory RHD Jeep Cherokee for around 5k but its a road trip to get it and bring it home.  Someone on another website suggested to someone else that he get a used Honda CRV and get the RHD conversion.Is a CRV big enough considering the increase in packages from Amazon?  What is the typical price for the conversion?

 

[Charlie Brown]

I know it's already been said (multiple times) but if there is any way possible do NOT buy a dedicated route vehicle until you know that you like the job. This job is not for everyone and many people just don't like it once they see and do everything it actually entails. Also,the retention rate for RCA's is very low and you may just not make it. The Mgmt. at the office that hired you may be all lovey dovey until you're on board and then they give you 3 days to learn a route and if you're not making evaluation in a week or 2 you're gone. We've all seen that happen. (some Mgmt. is good and will work with you) This is a fast paced job and many really great workers just don't adapt. So, beg, borrow, steal or rent a vehicle if you have to but try and hold off until you're sure it's working for both you and Mgmt.

 

[lbpd16]

Had my shadow day.  Casing the mail and figuring out what goes where seems to be the hard part to learn.  I just watched as it was explained what goes in what slots and bins and if something cannot be delivered for one of many reasons.  That made my head spin.  Loading the vehicle seemed to be the next hardest issue.  Trying to get some kind of order for the route.  The easiest part was just doing the deliveries.  The guy i was with did not speed between stops or run to boxes.  It was steady but not a rush.  Then back to the PO to put other mail in other places and that was it.  It didn't seem that bad at all.  I'm sure when I get to do it myself I may have a different opinion on things.  But it looks like a job I can definitely do comfortably once I get the hang of things.  RCA academy is next. 

 

[btdtret]

Ibpd16 -- You did not mention what vehicle was used for your shadow day, so bare with me.

Before jumping into the purchase of a route capable vehicle, do you know the status of the post office you are / will be assigned? All LLV or all POV or a mixture?

-- Sure, we all know that the PO-603 says the carrier needs to provide a vehicle, but not necessarily so in an all LLV office ( wink, wink ).

-- Between the Jeep and the CRV, probably go with the Jeep. A CRV might be okay for an AUX, but doubtful ( IMHO ) for a regular route. In 2001, I had a Honda Odyssey back in the "BA" ( Before Amazon ) days on a large K route and was challenged to make it in one trip.

Early CRV's had the spare tire mounted on the back. Where is it these days -- on the inside like old Chevy S-10 Blazers or under neath?

-- Make it a point to ask the academy instructors as well as fellow attendees for their opinions on route capable vehicles.

 

[lbpd16]

The guy I was with had a mini van.  He drove from the right hand side.  It looked very uncomfortable to do and very unsafe, but that is just my opinion.  My PO is a LLV and POV station.  I was told my routes would be POV but the guy I was with said some of the routes MAY get a LLV with the new routes starting saturday.  After the shadow day the CRV is WAY too small with all those parcels.  I'm about 99% sure i'm going with the factory RHD Cherokee.  My academy instructor agreed that factory RHD will be much easier for me than LHD or even a conversion.  If I eventually do go LLV the RHD Jeeps seem to be in demand so I think I can get most or all of my investment back.The academy was ok.  Its alot of info crammed into 4 days.  I'm sure I will not retain most of it.  I hope my 3 training days back at my station will be helpful.  If we had more academy time I think more practice filling out forms, casing, loading a vehicle, using the scanner and driving the fake route would be helpful.  Classroom time is good but practice doing the actual job is also a good thing. 

 

[lbpd16]

Talked to my mail girl today.  She is also a RCA at my post office.  She said the office is short on people.  They added 3 new routes last saturday and she said they have auxiliary routes as well but nobody to run them (I have no idea what an auxiliary route is).  She was hired in January and they are always advertising looking for people.  My hire date is May 26 and she said I am right behind her as nobody else was hired between us.  She said they are looking for 5 RCA's right now.  A lot of the regular's are also wanting to take vacation time.  The guy I will sub for is planning on taking a couple weeks next month.  She said she was told that she can bid on a route even before her 1 year is up since they have open routes.  Everything I read said that you must have a year in before being able to have your own route/become regular.  I start on tuesday so I hope the get the scoop on things so I have a better idea of what my options can be in the future.  I asked about Amazon sunday and she said our office does not do Amazon sunday, except for during the holidays.  She also mentioned something about if the UPS strike happens we may have much more Amazon to deliver as well.

 

[blamethesub]

You can't bid on a regular route until you have one calendar year in, but you could certainly carry an auxiliary route. An aux route is a small route, not big enough for it's carrier to be a regular (career) carrier. Aux routes are run by RCAs, either 6 days a week, or 5 days on the aux and one day on your primary regular route.

When an aux route becomes vacant, it is offered to RCAs by seniority, so you would be 2nd in line for one unless the other RCA refuses to take it. Then it would be offered to you. When you work an aux route, you earn vacation and sick time.

Sounds like you will be learning a bunch of routes after you train on your primary route if your office is that short of subs. You are going to be very busy. Keep us all posted about how it's going for you.

 

[btdtret]

lbpd16 -- "I have no idea what an auxiliary route is.

-- An Auxiliary route ( aka AUX ) must have a minimum of 12 hours per week ( 2 hours per day ) and thanks to Arbitrator Clarke, an AUX can reach 41:59 standard hours. At 42:00 standard hours, the AUX must be converted to a regular rural route.

-- To add insult to injury, an AUX could in theory be larger than an 41H or 42H.

-- To add further insult to injury, thanks to the 2015-2018 contract, AUX carriers can be utilized to assist other routes AFTER completing the AUX. In other words, in theory, an AUX ( at 41:59 standard hours ) could be assisting small regular H routes.

 

[lbpd16]

Yes, she mentioned something like that also.  Said when she was done with her route sometimes she had to go help out on another route.  So maybe the route she was talking about getting was an aux route.  That seems to make the most sense.  I drove the route I will be the main sub for on my own 4 days in a row.  Its only 23 miles, mostly in the city.  I paid attention to where the CBU's are, hardships are and hundred number of the blocks on the streets.  After practicing casing at the academy and not having a clue about the streets I am thinking that casing should go much easier now that I have a good idea of the order of the route and the order of street numbers.  Or maybe I will still be totally clueless.Looking forward to getting back to work and being busy....and getting off my COBRA insurance.  I went with the USPSHBP at $100 a month.  Just bought a cheap 2000 Toyota Sienna minivan for $1500.  Gonna try driving from the right side.  At this point I think i'm as ready as i'm gonna be.

 

[lbpd16]

First day on the job in the books.  The morning was a little confusing figuring out where to get mail and the hot case calls.  The casing part was not bad.  Since I drove the route a few days on my own i at least had an idea of the order of the route.  The full timer drove and I put the mail in the boxes, curbside and CBUs.  Had a few dismounts as well.  I was surprised at how quickly time passed.  Being busy constantly made the route fly by.  The afternoon work at the office was a bit confusing as well.  Stuff we couldn't/didn't deliver was sorted into several different locations for various reasons with several abbreviations.  Tomorrow I will see if I can do the delivering again and also handle and scan packages to get me familiar with the scanner.  Anyone has a method for sorting parcels in the vehicle?  My guy had a large pile that he moved around every so often but he knew pretty much where things were.  I'm kinda OCD and like organization so his method made no sense to me.  Looking forward to tomorrow, with repetition I should be able to get the hang of things.

 

[Gotrope]

Figure out an efficient system to sort/mark your parcels. That will be your biggest time saver. BTW, the official route process is: post in office, if not filled it goes to district posting. If no takers with district posting, it reverts to an office posting where rca with LESS than 12 months CAN bid. Good luck.

 

[lbpd16]

My first thought was maybe dividing the route into quarters, placing parcels in its own tub and using a different colored parcel markers in the case for each different quarter. I also found that the flats are way too big for the space in the case.  My full timer places them upright but I think maybe using the taco method and putting the letters in the taco may work better.  I had to fight the flats all morning when casing the DPS and that seemed to take up alot of unnecessary time moving the flats and jamming letters in the slots.  Not to mention the addresses on the case were covered by the flats as well. I would love to hear what works for other people.  I figure i would try a few methods and see what works best for me.

 

[lbpd16]

I also learned an important lesson today.  For slots with 2 addresses when i started casing I forgot to keep mail items to either the left or right side of the slot, I just jammed both addresses in the slot.  When we started delivering I found mail on my current stop belonged to the prior stop.  Luckily about a quarter through my casing I remembered and started doing it the right way.  I also started double checking my mail before I put it in the box and would look ahead a few pieces to be sure everything for that box was delivered.

 

[Gotrope]

Some people mark eack large parcel with a plastic slide marker of some sort. Some just write the address to the top facing edge of the box and place in route order in vehicle. Others sort by shelf,  Ex: eight parcels for a shelf, mark as 1-1. Signifying wing one- shelf one. Makes it easy to sort into vehicle. Still others just have numbered parcel placards that you wriye the corresponding number on to the parcel( marker 1- parcel 1)If you have two addresses per slot, try tacoing the first number and vertical case the second. BTW, each rural delivery should have it's own slot separation.